2 syllables: con, clude. Stress on clude.
/kənˈklud/
conclude is pronounced /kənˈklud/. It has two syllables (con-clude), with the stress on "clude". Conclude means to bring something to an end or to form a judgment after considering evidence. It is often used to signal the final point in an argument or discussion, or to determine a conclusion based on information. The verb is commonly followed by that-clauses, clauses, or prepositional phrases indicating outcomes or decisions.
Say it backConclude means to bring something to an end or to form a judgment after considering evidence. It is often used to signal the final point in an argument or discussion, or to determine a conclusion based on information. The verb is commonly followed by that-clauses, clauses, or prepositional phrases indicating outcomes or decisions.
"The committee will conclude the meeting at 5 p.m."
"After reviewing the data, she concluded that the strategy was ineffective."
"From the clues, the detective concluded there had been no foul play."
Pronounced kənˈkluːd. The syllable break is slim: con-CLUDE, with primary stress on the second syllable. Start with a weak schwa /ə/ in the first syllable, then move to /k/ + /l/ cluster, then the long /uː/ vowel, and finish with the clear /d/. Think: kuhN-KLOOD, and pair it with a crisp final /d/. IPA US/UK: /kənˈkluːd/.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing the stress, saying /ˈkənkluːd/ or /kənˈkluːd/ with stress on the first syllable; (2) Slurring the /l/ into the /n/ making /ˈkludn/ or dropping the /d/ and ending with a vowel; (3) Mispronouncing the vowel as /ʊ/ or /u/ as in /ˈkluːd/ without the initial schwa. Correction: keep the /ə/ in the first syllable, deliver /ˈkluːd/ in the second, keep /l/ and /d/ clear, and avoid delaying the /d/.
US/UK/AU share /kənˈkluːd/ but with subtle shifts. US often reduces unstressed vowels more strongly, and rhotic influences can affect vowel transition; UK tends toward crisper /ˈkluː/ with less rhoticity in non-rhotic accents, and AU may have a slightly more centralized first syllable /kən/ and a clear /uː/ in -lude. In all, main differences lie in vowel duration and the quality of the /ə/ versus /ə/ in fast speech and the final alveolar stop realization.
The difficulty centers on the /ə/ in the first syllable and the clustering /kl/ that must flow into the long /uː/ vowel, then a final /d/. Speakers often misplace stress or blend /kl/ with adjacent sounds, resulting in /kənˈluːd/ or /ˈkəkluːd/. Also, the 'n' sound between /l/ and /d/ can create an unnecessary nasalization or a softer /d/. Clear articulation of /k/ + /l/ cluster and the tense /uː/ is key.
A distinctive feature is the clear separation between the /l/ and the final /d/, ensuring the /l/ is not velarized or fused with /d/. In careful speech, you separate the syllables con-clude with syllabic timing: a short /ə/ then a strong /kluːd/ sequence. Emphasize the /ˈkluː/ nucleus while keeping the initial /k/ and /n/ distinct before the /l/.
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Conclude comes from the Latin concludere, from con- 'together' and cludere 'to close, shut'. The Latin verb concludere literally means to shut together, to bring to a close, or to deduce. Middle English borrowed it via Old French terminus or concluir, adopting the sense of bringing to a close an argument, a matter, or a process. The word has retained its core sense of finishing or determining through reasoning, but in English it also carries the nuance of drawing a inference or decision after examining evidence. First attestations in English appear in late medieval or early modern texts as a verb meaning to close, end, or deduce, and the sense of forming a conclusion from reasoning developed through scholastic and rhetorical usage in the Renaissance. Over time, conclude broadened to include logical inferences and formal resolutions within committees, reports, and debates, while maintaining its protective sense of closure or final determination.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "conclude" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "conclude"
-ude sounds
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